


Where Crows Fly

by scarlet_breeze



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/F, M/M, Other, i don't know what else to tag without spoiling anything, i'll add more characters as they show up, i'll try really hard to make this enjoyable and interesting, it's a wizard of oz haikyuu crossover, kenma briefly mentioned as a cat, make shift family, oikawa's to be more exact, other couples if you squint really hard, some daisuga if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-17 15:00:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4671029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarlet_breeze/pseuds/scarlet_breeze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some where over the rainbow crows fly. Wait, that's not right. But that just may be the case when Kageyama and Hinata find themselves in an unknown land journeying with a scarecrow, tin man, and lion towards Karasuno City. How did they get to that land in the first place? Who's this warlock that seems to want to get rid of this group of friends? Will they ever get to Karasuno City in time to find this mysterious wizard they've been told about? And why is Kageyama wearing knee pads as red as rubies? Find the answers to these questions and many more as you join this group of different individuals as they travel through Volley Land!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction ever so I hope you guys enjoy it. Hopefully the characters aren't too OOC. Hopefully I did a decent job on the summary too. I don't know how this crossover came to mind but here it is! Enjoy!

 

Calm, cloudy days with blue skies above them were Hinata’s and Kageyama’s favorite type of days. Especially when they finished their chores early around the farm house they were staying at. This meant they were able to play their favorite game: volleyball. However, this day was not one to enjoy. Hurried footsteps and heavy panting could be heard coming from the little dirt path leading to the farm. With labored breaths, the two boys slowed down to take a rest from their frantic running.

 

“Why….did you have…to go…and do that…..dumbass!?” asked Kageyama through his panting while bending over and supporting himself with his hands on his knees.

 

“It was _your_ fault….. for tossing it that far!” Hinata responded as he let himself drop to the ground.

 

“If you could _receive_ properly…. then this wouldn’t be an issue. Besides, that Grand King overreacted.”

           

“Yeah, he didn’t have to go and throw the ball at my face! He had good aim, though.”

 

“Let’s hurry back to the farm house. We need to tell Suga and Daich what Oikawa said.”

 

After catching their breaths for a few more seconds, the boys started to run towards the farm again but at a much slower pace than before. It was a little past noon, so this meant that Suga and Daichi were either at the hen house gathering eggs or feeding the horses their daily grains. Since the hen house was closer to the gate they were entering from, Hinata and Kageyama decided to check there first.

 

“Suga! Daichi! Are you back here!?” shouted Kageyama over the clucking of the hens.

 

“Over here!” came a voice from inside the hen house.

 

“Do you think there will be enough eggs this year? I mean, some of our hens haven’t been laying any,” came another, much deeper voice.

 

“Maybe it’s the feed,” the first voice replied.

 

Inside the hen house were two men. They looked to be around the same age, but definitely older than the two boys. The first that answered, Suga, was a thin man with ash blond hair and a beauty mark near his left eye. The other man, Daichi, was a couple inches taller than the first but with short black hair and a much bigger built. These two men had been long term friends. Neither married, so in order to save themselves from a life of bitter loneliness and a bit of money, they decided to move in together, which resulted in buying the farm. Not only did the farm provide a home for them, but also a means of income. However, the large property felt very deserted with just the two, so they decided to provide a home for children who had lost their parents or were abandoned during the war. Kageyama and Hinata just so happened to be a couple of these children.

 

“Suga! You wouldn’t believe what that Grand King sai…..”

 

“I told you already Kageyama, call me Uncle Suga.”

 

“But, Oikawa said he’s going to send Hinata off to the big city……”

 

“Should we buy a different type of feed?” added Daichi.

           

“Uncle Suga! Uncle Daichi! Listen! Oikawa…..” piped in Hinata.

 

“The dumbass trampled all over his garden, not completely on purpose, but Oikawa overreacted and now…..”

 

“We should pass by Nekoma Feed Lot tomorrow and check out what they have,” said Suga, completely ignoring the two boys.

 

“UNCLE SUGA! UNCLE DAICHI! LISTEN!” the two boys yelled in chorus.

 

That go their attention. Daichi was the first to say something. “I’m sorry boys, were a little busy. Could we talk about this later? In the meantime, go check if Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, and Yachi have finished their chores.”

 

With that, and a scowl on Kageyama’s face, the two boys made their way towards the pig pen.

“Hey guys!” greeted a young boy with freckles dusting the bridge of his nose, “What’s with the face Kageyama? You haven’t scowled that hard since the time that cow scared you after it licked your face.”

 

“Yamaguchi, don’t you know he can’t make any other expression? He scowls so much it became part of his face,” came the voice from a very tall boy with blond hair and glasses.

 

“Shut up Tsukishima!” yelled Kageyama as a rather weak retort.

 

“G-guys! Please don’t fight. You’ll scare the pigs. If you yell then they’ll get scared and if they get scared they might start running and they’ll get lost and they’ll never return and Uncle Daichi will get mad! He’s scary when he’s mad! Guys! I don’t want to go back to the orphanage!” said a small blond girl around their age. She was known to be a little frantic over things, but at times like these it helped stop the arguments between Kageyama and Tsukishima.

 

“Calm down Yachi. Uncle Suga would never let that happen to us,” reassured Hinata.

 

Yamaguchi added, “Yeah, he said we were family after all. And Uncle Daichi even agreed.”

 

That seemed to calm her down. However, one question still remained.

 

“So what were you guys so upset about?” asked Yamaguchi again. At that, some kind of gloomy cloud surrounded the five of them.

 

After a long pause, Hinata replied, “Oikawa said he was going to send me to the big city to work in a factory.”

 

“What did you do to get him so riled up?” asked Tsukishima.

 

“Well, we were playing volleyball and I accidentally tossed the ball too far. It landed in Oikawa’s garden,” explained Kageyama.

 

“You mean, right into his award winning flower garden?” Yachi asked.

 

“What were you doing over there in the first place?” Yamaguchi joined in on the conversation.

 

“Well, there’s this really great spot near his garden that’s not too bumpy, so it’s perfect for volleyball. But when I went to get the ball, his demon of a cat started hissing at me. If I hadn’t chased it off, it would have clawed my face off,” was Hinata’s response.

 

“But instead he got a ball to the face after Oikawa saw his trampled flowers,” added Kageyama. There was a long pause after this. After spending two years together, the group couldn’t imagine one of them not being there anymore. Even if Kageyama was constantly calling Hinata names and even if Kageyama and Tsukishima argued like cats and dogs, they were all still friends, even if Tsukishima would never admit it.

 

“H-hey, everything will be fine. You said so yourself Hinata, Uncle Daichi and Uncle Suga would never let you be send off,” Yachi stated as she grabbed his hand and gave it a soft pat, “We’re family, just like Uncle Suga said. So you can’t leave us.” Somehow, that gloomy atmosphere vanished with those sweet words.

 

“What are you guys doing? Have you finished your chores yet?”

 

Daichi’s booming voice seemed to clear any gloom that might have been lingering, as well as scare his five wards out of their shoes.

 

“Sorry Uncle Daichi. We were just taking a break. We’ll get back to work right now,” responded Yamaguchi. With those words, everyone went their respected ways. Except for Hinata and Kageyama, that is. Crossing his arms, Daichi raised his eyebrow at them expecting an answer from the duo as to why they weren’t moving.

 

As if there was some kind of telepathy, Kageyama answered his silent question with, “We finished our chores already.”

 

With a sigh and a resigned look on his face, Daichi told them, “Well if that’s the case, then go play somewhere. Try not to get into any trouble.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

As they turned to leave, Daichi’s voice stopped them once more, but this time with a caring tone.

 

“And Yachi’s right. We’re family, so Suga and I aren’t going to let anything happen to you guys. Now, go play some volleyball or something. Off you go.”

 

“YES SIR!” they both chorused as they turned around towards the little patch of grass their care takers had set apart specifically for volleyball purposes.

 

* * *

 

 

It had been a rather active day for the little dirt road leading towards the farm. First, it experienced two boy running for their dear lives. Now there was a bicycle on it creating a faint crumbling sound as its tires rotated, followed by metal squeaking indicating that the contraption needed some oil. Riding the rickety old bike was a young man, about Suga and Daichi’s age, with brown hair and with an air of confidence that seemed to belong to a king, not someone living in the country side.

 

“If those kids think they can just waltz into my garden, trample over my award winning flowers, and chase poor little Kenma, then they have another thing coming. They shouldn’t have messed with me, the great and amazing Oikawa. Those brats have been a pain in my side since Mr. Refreshing and Captain decided to open up that farm of theirs for those war orphans. Well, they won’t be a problem for long, at least one of them.”

 

* * *

 

 

Daichi was standing in front of the farm house’s little white fence with nails sticking out of his mouth and a hammer in his hand. Earlier that week Tsukishima and Kageyama got into another argument, which resulted in things being thrown. Unfortunately, one of the things thrown was Suga’s favorite Flowering Maple. It was still pretty small, but it was already in bloom with little orange flowers. Good news, nobody got hurt. Bad news, the pot hit the already broken fence, which resulted in an even more broken fence. Well, at least this gave Daichi the excuse he needed to finally repair the fence. Though, just recalling an angry Suga was enough to send chills down his spine. In Daichi’s opinion, Suga was much scarier than him when he was angry. With that thought pushed aside, Daichi finished hammering the last nails into the wooden boards. As he stood up to inspect the fence, he saw a bicycle making its way towards him.

 

“What a surprise. What honor do I possess to have gained a visit from Oikawa himself?” Daichi said in a tone that sounded almost too sarcastic.

 

“Very funny, _Captain_ , but you should already know why I’m here.”

 

“I do. And I’m not happy with what I heard, but we’ll hear you out. Let’s go inside. Suga! Oikawa’s here!” That last part was meant for Suga to hear, but his five wards just so happened to hear their own names being called.

 

After moving inside, everyone seemed to understand the reason as to why Oikawa was sitting in their living room, even if nobody voiced it. Oikawa broke the silence by explaining everything that had happened that morning. _His_ version of the story went that Oikawa had gotten out of bed and made some breakfast just to see a blur of movement jump over his gate and into his garden. When he went to see what it was, he had seen Hinata chasing his cat, Kenma, around the garden and trampling on his blue ribbon petunias. He went on to say that Hinata was making excuses about lost volleyballs and angry cats. Both of which he didn’t believe, but as soon as Kageyama arrived, Hinata just bolted out of the garden.

 

“And this is not the first time I see that shrimpy in my garden.”

 

“What!? This is the first time I’ve ever gone in!” defended Hinata. Oikawa just glared at him. That made Hinata jump and confess, “Ok, I‘ve gone before, but not _inside_. I just like looking at your cat play with butterflies from the gate. Even if he’s a little demon.”

 

“Either way, you’ve trespassed on my property far too many times,” said Oikawa, turning to face Daichi and Suga, “So I’m here to ask Mr. Refreshing and Captain here to hand over the shrimpy to me. I’ll send him off to the big city. Maybe then will he learn some responsibility while working in the factories.”

 

“I won’t let you do that. You have no right walking in here and taking one of my family members,” Suga protested.

 

“What family members? These brats? They’re just orphans. They’re not even related to you.”

 

“Alright, you know what Oikawa? Just because you own half the county doesn’t give you the right to do this!”

 

“You just crossed a line you weren’t supposed to. I’m going to have to ask you to leave this house immediately,” added Daichi.

 

“We’re not in the army anymore Sawamura. I don’t have to obey you. But now that you don’t want to give him up, you leave me no choice. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to this,” said Oikawa as he pulled out a piece of paper from his trousers’ pocket. “This is an order from Sheriff Iwaizumi granting me permission to take this shrimp with me.”

 

“On what account?” asked Tsukishima, which surprised everyone in the room.

 

“Oh, you have a smart one here, don’t you? Well if you must know, on account of property damage, trespassing, and being a danger to the citizens of this county,” answered Oikawa.

 

“A danger? This small fry? If the Grand King thinks the shrimp is a danger, then he isn’t as “grand” as people think he is,” retorted Tsukishima. Any control that Oikawa had on his anger broke the instant those words were uttered.

 

“Hand him over!”

 

“If you think we’re going to give him up that easily then you have another thing coming, you bas….” Suga started.

 

“Well, you’re going to have to or else I can have you all arrested for going against a sheriff’s order,” interrupted Oikawa as he lunged for Hinata’s arm. At that instant, Kageyama pulled Hinata from Oikawa’s grasp.

 

“Let him go!” screamed Kageyama, but that didn’t release him from the Grand King’s hold. Suddenly there were shouts of “Give him back!”, “We won’t let you!”, “Hand him over!”, and “I don’t wanna go!” as well as pulling from both parties. That is, until Oikawa finally pulled hard enough to get the boy onto his side.

 

“If you don’t stop this, I will personally get the sheriff to come down here and take him by force!” threatened Oikawa. That seemed to settle the tugging and protesting. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking this brat back with me.”

 

“But you can’t…” Suga said, but Daichi held him back.

 

“Suga, we don’t want any trouble from the sheriff. Don’t worry, this matter isn’t settled yet. We’ll get Hinata back.” That last part was directed towards Oikawa.

 

“I believe this war is not one you will be winning, Captain Sawamura,” Oikawa said as he took Hinata and headed out the door, slamming the door shut in the process.

 

Back inside, nobody knew what to do. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were consoling Yachi, who had immediately started crying the minute Hinata was out of the house. Suga was pacing around the room with frustration and anger clearly painted on his pale features. As for Kageyama, he had his usual scowl, but this time it seemed different. It seemed angrier, if that was possible, but there was also a hint of sadness and hurt in it.

 

“Why would you let this happen Uncle Daichi?” he asked.

 

“I told you already. I don’t want trouble from the sheriff. But don’t worry, I meant what I said, we’ll get him back somehow. Now, go to your room. All of you,” he addressed the group, “There’s a lot of things Suga and I need to talk about.” And with that, the little group dispersed into their respective bedrooms.

 

In his room, Kageyama sat on the bed with his knees to his chest. The only thought that passed through his mind was, _“If only I hadn’t tossed the ball too far. It’s my fault.”_

 

However, this train of thought was quickly interrupted by a loud thump on his bedroom floor. When he turned to check what it was, he saw Hinata half on the floor and half dangling out of the window.

 

“What are you doing here, you idiot?” asked a confused Kageyama.

 

“I escaped from Oikawa while he was too busy ranting about his “amazing looks and brilliance.” You know, he could really talk about himself when he’s not causing trouble,” answered Hinata.

 

“Well, since you’re here, what do we do now? When Oikawa finds out you escaped he’ll come looking for you.” They both stood and thought for a while.

 

“Let’s run away,” was the answer Kageyama came up with.

 

“Wha…? Are you stupid? Where are we supposed to go?”

 

“Would you rather stay here until Oikawa comes back to find you?”

 

“Good point. Ok, let’s go. Should we tell everyone else?”

 

“No. They’ll only try to stop us.”

 

“Hmm, Ok.”

 

Carrying only the clothes on their back, a picture of their little make shift family, and a heavy heart full of regret, the two boys made their way out of the window and away from the little farm house.

 

* * *

 

 

None of the two boys spoke a word after they had left the farm house. Hinata suddenly stopped when his eye caught a small trailer-like building. Painted with bright colors on the side of the cart were the words _Takeda Ittetsu! World Famous Psychic!_

 

“Uuuuuwwwwoouuuu! Kageyama, look! A psychic!” squawked Hinata in excitement.

 

“I see it. Let’s keep moving, idiot,” was Kageyama’s sole response.

 

“Wait. It says he’s world famous. That means he must travel a lot. Maybe he can take us with him!” said Hinata as he bounced towards the little trailer.

 

“Hold up, dumbass!”

 

Once they arrived at the little trailer, they found a small bespectacled man sitting by a fire cooking some sausages and potatoes.

 

“Why, hello there! Who might you be?” asked the man.

 

“I’m Hinata, and this angry looking giant next to me is Kageyama,” answered Hinata as he dodged Kageyama from trying to grasp his head.

 

“I’m Takeda. Nice to meet….”

 

“Takeda! Do you know where my cigarettes are?” asked a blond man coming out of the trailer, “Oh, who are these kids?”

 

“Oh, hi Ukai. This is Hinata and Kageyama. They were just about to tell me why they’ve ran away from home.”

 

“How did you know?” asked Kageyama.

 

“Kid, this is the world famous Takeda we’re talking about,” answered the blond man, putting on his usual act.

 

“Well, some things happened back home, and now for certain reasons we can’t go back home,” answered Kageyama.

 

“That’s vague,” stated the man by the name Ukai.

 

“Since you’re world famous that means you’ve been around the world right? We were wondering if you guys could take us with you,” added Hinata.

 

“U-ummm… W-well…of course but…ummm…” nervously stuttered Ukai.

 

“W-we, uh, need to consult the magic crystal first! Yeah!” helpfully imputed Takeda, “Let’s go inside the trailer. It’s getting a little windy out here.”

 

Once inside, eveyone made their way towards a table with a crystal globe on the center of it. Now, for “concentration purposes” Ukai ordered the two boys to close their eyes. While Takeda pretended to call on spirits to help him peer into the crystal ball, Ukai was looking for something to help Takeda’s “psychic abilities.” He finally spotted an old photograph sticking out of Kageyama’s pocket. Carefully, he took the photo and showed it to Takeda. Once he had gotten a good look at it, Ukai slowly placed it back into Kageyama’s pocket.

 

“Ok you can open your eyes,” he instructed.

 

As Takeda pretended to look deep into the crystal he said, “Let’s see. Oh! Who do we have here? A young man, no, two young men, wearing… overalls. One has ash blond hair and the other…the other has short black hair.”

 

“Uncle Suga and Uncle Daichi,” the boys unanimously imputted.

 

“Yes! But they’re not alone! There’s three more people. Three boys, no wait, two boys and one girl. The five of them, they appear to be hugging one another. Not in happiness, but in sadness. They’re weeping. Somebody’s hurt them. The two men are extremely worried. One of them is walking out of a little farm house, probably to look for the one who’s hurt them.

 

“It’s probably Uncle Daichi,” uttered Kageyama.

 

“He’s probably angry,” Hinata added.

 

“No, not in anger, but in distress,” explained Takeda. A silence hung in the air as the two boys took this information in.

 

After a long while, Hinata finally broke the silence, “We should go back.”

 

“But what if Oikawa comes back for you?” asked Kageyama.

 

“I trust that Uncle Suga and Uncle Daichi will do something about it,” Hinata said with a sad smile. “Thanks for everything but we need to go,” he added.

 

“But don’t you want to see the world with us?” asked Ukai.

 

“We do, but we don’t want to make the people we care about sad,” Hinata responded as Kageyama nodded his head in agreement. The two boys got up from their seats and headed out.

 

“I hope they make it back safe. There’s a storm coming,” Takeda said after they left.

 

* * *

 

 

The day may have started out nice, but the sky seemed too calm for everything to be peaceful. Throughout the day, the wind started to pick up speed. Eventually, it started to blow in every direction with a force that could only mean one thing; there was a twister on its way. It was only now that both Suga and Daichi understood what was going on. The two men quickly ordered their young wards to get the animals to safety while the twister was still a little ways off. Yamaguchi hauled the horses towards the stable while Tsukishima rounded up the cows and took them to the barn. Yachi and Daichi herded the pigs, sheep, and ducks into the barn as well. The chickens were safely put back in the hen house by Suga. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do for their crops except pray that the twister doesn’t do much damage. Finally, it was time for them to get to safety, however, there was one problem remaining.

 

“Kageyama! Where are you!? Kageyama! Kageyama! Daichi, I can’t find Kageyama anywhere!” Suga’s voice fought against the wind. _“I hope Hinata is safe, wherever he is,”_ he thought.

 

“He’s not in his room!? Have you checked the volleyball patch we left for them!?” yelled Daichi.

 

“He’s not in either places! I’ve checked!”

 

At that moment, the wind became even stronger.

 

“Suga, we have to get down to the cellar! Everyone else is already there! Kageyama will be fine! He knows what to do just in case this happened! Besides, that face of his might even scare the twister back where it came from!”

 

Suga punched Daichi’s arm after that last sentence.

 

“Don’t joke about that!”

 

“Sorry! Sorry! But trust me, he’ll be ok!” reassured Daichi as he rubbed his arm.

 

“I hope you’re right!”

           

That was the last sentence heard before the door to the cellar closed with an extremely loud _THUD_.

 

* * *

 

 

The two boys were almost home when they saw the tornado approaching their little farm house.  They were running at full force but it was a little hard to stand upright when the wind was knocking them down every few steps. Hinata kept getting pushed back, which resulted in Kageyama holding his hand so he wouldn’t get blown away. At long last, they arrived at the house, and they quickly made their way to the cellar. They shouted and banged on the door to be let in, but the wind must have been too loud for any of their family members to hear.

 

The two boys made their way back to Kageyama’s bedroom to try and find some kind of shelter. Unfortunately, there was little they could do but hang on to each other.

 

“What do we do!?” asked Hinata.

 

“How should I know!?” was Kageyama’s respond.

 

 “Didn’t Uncle Daichi tell you what to do just in case this happened!?”

           

“Yes, but I don’t remember!?”

 

“How could you not remember!? Do you have volleyballs for brains!?

 

“Well, do _you_ remember what Uncle Suga told _you,_ dumbass!?”

 

“You really need to get new insults!”

 

“Well, you…”

 

Suddenly the window shattered, and hit them both on the head. The boys fell unconscious just as the twister lifter their house off of the plat form it was standing on. Everything rattled and shook as the twister blew the little house in all different directions.

After a couple minutes, the boys came to. They looked at each other wondering what had happened. It was Kageyama who finally pointed outside the window.

 

“Are we up in the twister?” asked Hinata in an awed but incredulous tone.

 

“Most likely,” came Kageyama’s reply.

 

As the two boys stared out the window, they saw all kinds of things flying inside the twister. They saw cows, pigs, and a few people. A couple of fisher men were still in their boat, and when they noticed Hinata and Kageyama, waved a friendly hello. The next thing they saw drained the blood from their faces. What the boys saw was Oikawa riding his rickety old bike, but then the image started to blur right in front of their eyes. Hinata rubbed his eyes to clear his vision while Kageyama just shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. Once they took a second look, what they saw wasn’t the Grand King, but a warlock. The image didn’t stay long because the boys felt the house shake violently once more. This time, however, it seemed to stay still for a second before gravity took its course.

 

Screaming for their lives, the boys found themselves free falling as the house crashed right to the ground.

 

“Ooowww…. My everything hurts,” Hinata commented while standing up extremely carefully, followed by Kageyama who was also grunting in pain.

 

“At least we’re alive,” Kageyama pointed out, “Let’s go check outside.”

 

As they made their way to the door, something felt off. As soon as they opened the door, the boys knew what it was.

 

“Hinata,” said a very confused Kageyama, “I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

 

“What’s a Kansas?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter! I hope I didn't take too long to update. Enjoy!

“Hey, Kageyama,” Hinata asked while tugging at Kageyama’s sleeve, “What’s a Kansas? Hey! Kageyama. Hey!”

 

“Stop that you idiot!” said Kageyama with a hint of irritation as he tugged his sleeve free from Hinata’s grasp.

 

“Then answer my question!”

 

“Fine! Kansas is a… um…well… it’s…”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“It’s just a thing you say when you don’t know where you are.”

 

“If you say so,” Hinata said, not believing Kageyama at all, “Anyway, Let’s check out this “not Kansas” place.”

 

As the boys stepped out of the little, now broken, farm house, the atmosphere seemed to change. Where were they? Did the twister take them to another country? Or were they dreaming? That couldn’t be possible because why would they both be dreaming the same thing? As they walked around inspecting the area, they noticed that everything seemed brighter. There were colors everywhere and plants of all sorts. The vegetation was huge. There was also a little river running under a bridge. As they took a closer look, they saw little buildings. Did people live here? What was even more peculiar was what looked like the town square. The bricks that created the ground had an intriguing pattern. It was composed of two roads. One was orange and the other black. However, they weren’t like regular roads. Instead of running parallel to each other, they swirled and intertwined with one another. Once the spokes of these roads go longer, they split ways.

As they looked around the little city, a small glowing orb appeared. As it approached closer to the two boys, it started to grow. The orb grew and grew until it was roughly the size of a human. Quickly, Hinata ran behind Kageyama to hide from whatever the strange orb was. With a sudden flash, the orb turned into a human. The two boys just stood with stunned expressions trying to process what had happened in front of them. Right there, standing in place of the orb, was a beautiful lady. She wore a dress resembling a ball gown. It was pink in color with white lace trimming adorning the fabric. She wore a pair of glasses that framed her delicate feature just so. Apart from that, she held what seemed to be a wand in one hand. Compared to her elegant attire, the two boys looked like country folks. Which in a sense they were. Kageyama was wearing white shorts and a blue checkered short sleeved button up shirt with white suspenders, while Hinata wore grey trousers with a white button up shirt with his sleeves rolled up to the elbow and black suspenders. Everything about their attire screamed “country folks.” At that realization, the boys suddenly felt self-conscience. However, that mentality was completely forgotten once the beautiful lady spoke.

 

“Are you a good wizard or an evil warlock?”

 

“P-pardon?” asked Kageyama, slightly stunned at her soft voice.

 

“Are you a good wizard or an evil warlock?” she asked once more. “The citizens of this town informed me that a magical being had dropped a house on an evil witch, ridding their city from her curse. There’s the witch, and there’s the house,” she pointed. The lady then noticed Hinata hiding behind Kageyama and asked, “Or is he the wizard?”

 

“Well, um, Miss, we’re not wizards or warlocks. We’ve never even met a witch.” Replied Kageyama. Then, from the large vegetation came an amused sounding cackle and some laughs as well. “What was that?” he asked.

 

“Those are the citizens I was just talking about, and they were laughing because I _am_ a witch, and you’ve just met me.”

 

“You’re a witch!? But all those stories we read at the orphanage said witches were ugly and old with long pointed noses!” Hinata asked incredulously.

 

As if out of nowhere, sprung two people from the underlying brush, and with warp speed, ran up to Hinata and Kageyama. They were so close that their personal space felt invaded.

 

The one with a shaved head and a nasty glare adorning his face practically yelled, “What did you say about our beautiful Kiyoko, you punks!”

 

The other one, who was shorter and had spiky hair with a blond streak in the front, added, “Yeah! What did you say about our beautiful goddess!? She, who is like a ray of golden sunshine!? How could you call her a long nosed, ugly, old witch!?”

 

“I-I-I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know! I….” cried Hinata.

 

“Tanaka! Noya! Stop scaring these poor kids. They’ve done nothing wrong!” came the voice from a rather tall man with long hair tied into a bun and a beard on his chin. If they had to take a wild guess, Kageyama and Hinata would say that the man was around their uncles’ age.

 

“What do you mean they’ve done nothing wrong Asahi!? They called Kiyoko ugly!” the shorter one, by the name of Nishinoya (or Noya), asked.

 

“That was a mistake. They didn’t know. Besides, he said he was sorry.”

 

“Noya’s right. Sorry won’t cut it. Kiyoko would never forgive them for this crime. Right?” the other, named Tanaka, turned to the beautiful witch Kiyoko.

 

“Actually, I already have,” she answered.

 

Shifting gears with a total 360, the two men who had sprung out of hiding said, “Well if that’s the case, then welcome to Volley Land!”

 

At the word “volley,” both Hinata and Kageyama lit up. Back home, they would spend their time playing volleyball whenever they had the chance. In fact, everyone on the farm played the game, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, Yachi (even if she was a little scared of the ball), and even Uncle Daichi and Uncle Suga.

 

“Did you say volley?” asked Kageyama very excitedly.

 

“As in volleyball?” finished Hinata.

 

“Yeah! You guys play?” asked Noya, and he got two head nods in response.

 

“Well, if you love the game, then you came to the right place!” Tanaka said while thumping the boys in the back.

 

“Every year we have a tournament with teams that have formed all around the country. It’s a way to keep harmony among everyone who lives here. Except, ever since the witch and her curse appeared, things haven’t been the same. There’s always accidents or the weather is never good. Something always happens,” added Asahi.

 

“But now that you have gotten rid of the witch, the curse is no longer in effect,” Kiyoko also added.

 

Everyone who was present went quiet. The realization of what Kiyoko had said was slowly sinking into the citizens of Volley Land.

 

“Guys….. we’re free. We’re finally free! The curse is finally gone!” Tanaka practically yelled the announcement to the world. A roar of cheering and whooping sounded all through the city as the citizen celebrated their new found freedom.

 

“And we have these guys to thank!” Noya added.

 

“You guys are heroes,” Asahi said.

 

At that, Hinata and Kageyama turned shy. Them? Heroes? No one had ever praised them like that. This was a new feeling to them, and suddenly they didn’t know how to react. Kiyoko realized what had come over the boys and said to them, “Asahi’s right. You’re heroes, and now your names will be known all across the land.”

 

“That’s right! That’s Right! So come and join the celebra…” Noya responded but was immediately cut off by a loud explosion. Everyone standing in town square whirled around to see what had caused it, but instead they saw a cloud of blue and white smoke.

 

As the smoke cleared, a young man with brown hair and an atmosphere that felt almost evil appeared. At his appearance, everyone stopped their celebration. The mysterious young man turned towards the fallen house and saw who was lying under it.

 

“You! What have you done to my sister?” he pointed to Kiyoko.

 

“I have done nothing. As you can see, a house fell from an unknown place, and your sister just so happened to be in the way of its landing. Quite the unfortunate accident, don’t you think?” she replied.

 

“Why you little…”

 

“Aren’t you forgetting something important?”

 

“What are you…”

 

“The knee pads.”

 

Something sparked in the young man’s mind and went to his sister’s corpse.

 

“Ahh, that’s right. Sis’ ruby red knee pads.”

 

As the young man closed in to retrieve her sister’s knee pads, they disappeared right in front of his eyes. Once again, he turned towards Kiyoko.

 

“What did you do with the knee pads?”

 

“Did you mean these?” she said while pointing to Kageyama’s knees with her wands.

 

“What the…..?” jumped a confused Kageyama.

 

“Wow, Kageyama! How did you do that?” Hinata asked him.

 

“How should I know?!”

 

“You. Boy. Hand me those knee pads,” ordered the young man.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I said so.”

 

“He can’t do that,” Kiyoko intervened.

 

“And why is that?” asked the brunette.

 

“Who knows what kind of things you’ll do if you get your hands on them.”

 

“Don’t be absurd. Those knee pads belong to me now.”

 

“Yet, they have chosen another master. And as long as he’s wearing them, you can’t possess them.”

 

“What’s your name boy?” he turned to Kageyama with a glare that could pierce through your very existence.

 

“Kageyama.”

 

“Well, Kageyama. You better watch you back. Those knee pads _will_ be mine. I’ll get you, and your little shrimpy too.” He addressed Hinata who had been hiding behind Kageyama the entire time.

 

“Shrimpy?! I’m not…” and as sudden as he came, the young man disappeared in the same blue and white smoke.

 

“Who was that?” asked a peeved Hinata.

 

“That was Tooru, the Evil Warlock of the Western Court. He’s the brother of the Evil Witch of the Eastern Court, the one you eliminated,” answered Kiyoko.

 

“Volley Land is split up into quadrants; the Northern Court, the Eastern Court, the Southern Court, and the Western Court. Kiyoko here is the Good Witch of the Northern Court,” explained Asahi.

 

“So what does he want with these knee pads?” asked Kageyama.

 

“Those knee pads, believe it or not, hold great power. Now that the Evil Witch of the Eastern Court is gone, her brother wants that power to himself. It is as I said before, who knows what he might do if he got his hands on them.” Kiyoko said.

 

“So what do they do now?” asked Noya.

 

“I want to go home,” piped in Hinata, “As much as I want to stay here and play volleyball, I’m worried about our family.”

 

“Hrm,” grunted Kageyama in agreement.

 

“If that is what you wish, then I won’t stop you. Besides, I completely agree with that idea. Now that you have Tooru coming after you, I think it’s best to leave Volley Land,” Kiyoko said.

 

“So how do we go home?” asked Kageyama.

 

“I don’t have the answer to that. However, if you follow the orange brick road, it will lead you to Karasuno City. A great and powerful wizard is said to live there. He should know how to get you back home. Oh, and one more thing. You must never take off those knee pads. If you do, then it will give Tooru the chance to come and take them.”

 

Hinata and Kageyama turned to each other and nodded, understanding the severity of Kiyoko’s words.

 

“Tanaka, Noya, and Asahi will lead you to the border of the town, but from then on, you will be on your own.” Kiyoko said as she started to fade away.

 

“Wait! But what if….” Hinata began to ask.

 

“Just follow the orange brick road.” Then, Kiyoko was gone.

 

“Well, I guess we should start heading out,” concluded Kageyama after she left.

 

“Hey, don’t worry! We’ll make sure we take you to the border safe and sound!” exclaimed Noya while looping an arm around Hinata’s shoulder.

 

“Yeah! Now, you have to start at the very beginning of the road. The very beginning of the orange spoke,” added Tanaka.

 

“Why? That’ll be a waste of time. Can’t we just start from where we’re standing?” asked Kageyama.

 

“No, you have to start at the very beginning because… because… it’s tradition!” yelled Tanaka.

 

“But….”

 

“It’s tradition!”

 

Kageyama frowned his usual scowl at this.  It was annoying to start at the very beginning of the spoke, not to mention a waste of time. However, he did what he was told because Uncle Suga and Uncle Daichi raised him with manners.

 

“Come on! Lighten up!” Noya said as they started to “follow the orange brick road.”

 

The walk to the border was very noisy. Tanaka and Noya shared stories about their “youth” and “adventures,” but the stories that kept Kageyama and Hinata hooked were about their volleyball matches. Stories about this usually involved exaggerations, accompanied with exaggerated body movements. Asahi spent most of the time trying to keep his fellow countrymen calm. The little group stopped once they reached their destination.

 

“I guess this is our stop,” Noya said.

 

“Guess you better get going, huh?” added Tanaka.

 

As the boys stepped forward to continue walking, Asahi shouted a “Be safe!” There were also words of “Come back and visit!” and “Let’s have a match next time!” from Tanaka and Noya. Hinata turned back with a bright smile and yelled, “We will!”

 

“Hurry up, dumbass!” Kageyama scolded him as he grabbed Hinata by the collar to pull him along.

 

“Hey! Don’t drag me!”

 

“Then hurry up and walk, idiot!”

 

“Can’t you see I am!? Or are you blind on top of stupid!?”

 

With that comment, Kageyama lunged himself towards Hinata, but missed as Hinata ran to dodge the attack.

 

“Hey! Come back here!” yelled Kageyama. This ensued a chase, as well as a series of attacks with the occasional dodging from Hinata.

 

Back at the border, the three Volley Land citizens stood and stared at the scene before them. As the boys ran farther and farther down the path, their voices became fainter and fainter from the border.

 

“Will they be ok?” asked Asahi.

 

“I sure hope so,” answered Tanaka and Noya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the story isn't progressing too slow. I'll try to update as soon as I can. Next time we'll meet the scarecrow, the tin man, and the lion, so look forward to that! Again, comments are greatly appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third chapter! Sorry it's a little late, but I hope you enjoy! This chapter introduces a new character, so look forward to that.

It wasn’t unusual for Kageyama and Hinata to bicker. Some people would think that the two boys hated each other since they spent most of their time arguing, yelling, and insulting one another. That was just what others saw on the surface, but if they took some time to look a little deeper into their relationship, they would find that all that bickering was a way to show how much they actually cared for each other. This was not the only case though. Whether they knew it or not, sometimes all that arguing was a way to also make time go faster. Almost like two friends aimlessly talking about movies or something they saw while walking home from the store, it passed the time. After they chased each other from the border of town, the two boys stalled their running, but the arguments didn’t stop. Although, the conversations turned mundane. Most of the things they bickered about involved things about Volley Land.

 

 “So if they have tournaments, then that means there must be courts somewhere around here, right? Right?!” Hinata questioned.

 

“Maybe,” came Kageyama’s reply.

 

“What if it’s a huge field with pure courts? Wouldn’t that be awesome?!”

 

“Hrm”

 

“Do you think we’ll see them while we walk to Karasuno City?”

 

“How should I know? We don’t even know if they really _do_ have volleyball courts out here.”

 

“Well, I say they do.” At that, Hinata trailed off the subject to ask, “Hey, we’re supposed to stick to the orange road, right?”

 

“That’s what Kiyoko said.”

 

“Then which way do we go?” Hinata asked while pointing to a fork in the road. At this interruption, both boys looked at their surroundings and found themselves near crops of corn. The only thing dividing the road from the corn field was a white wooden fence enclosing the crops.

 

After looking around for a few seconds, Hinata piped in, “So….Which way?”

 

“Ummm….I don’t know. She didn’t say anything about this.”

 

The two boys stood silent for a moment, contemplating whether to go right or left. After a while, Kageyama crossed his arms and put up a thoughtful scowl, which looked like his usual angry scowl except this time it didn’t have any anger behind it. Hinata crouched to get into a better thinking position. A minute passed but neither had voiced which direction to go.

 

“You know, if you go right it’ll take you to a little town where they have the most delicious meat buns you’ll ever eat,” said a mysterious voice.

 

Hinata and Kageyama jumped, startled by the voice. Both boys looked around, but they didn’t see anyone around.

 

“You heard that too right?” asked Kageyama. Although he wore his usual poker face, there was a hint of fear in his voice.

 

“Y-yeah. But who said it?”

 

“I don’t see anyone around.”

 

“Hey, Kageyama,” Hinata whispered while moving to clutch at Kageyama’s shirt in fear, “Do you think this road is haunted?”

 

“You could also go left. I heard there’s a city that has 1,000 different types of meat buns.”

 

When the unknown voice spoke again, it made the two boys hug each other in fear, quaking as they tried to figure out who was talking. They looked around again, but all they saw was the corn field.

 

“K-k-k-k-kageyama?”

 

“I-it’s not haunted, pr- probably.”

 

While scanning the corn field, Hinata spotted a raggedy dressed scarecrow. He was wearing overalls, much like what they sometimes wore whenever they tended to their chores. Under the overalls, he wore a long sleeved, white collared shirt. He also wore gloves and a sun hat that sat on top of his brown unruly hair. If the two boys took a closer look, they would find that the person who made the scarecrow had given him what appeared to be freckles on his nose that spread a little to his cheeks. Somehow, his face seemed very familiar.

 

“D-do you think i-it was the scarecrow?” he asked.

 

“Why would the scarecrow talk?” answered Kageyama.

 

“I mean, there’s witches and warlocks in this land, so why can’t a scarecrow talk?”

 

Kageyama stood, processing this for a while, “Good point.”

 

The two boys, still hugging each other, stared at the scarecrow to see if he would make any movements. After a while, they looked at each other as if confirming that it couldn’t have been the scarecrow. The voice hadn’t come back after a while, so both boys let go of each other while sighing in relief.

 

“Maybe it was the wind,” provided Kageyama.

 

“Yeah, maybe. Uncle Suga told me once that he heard us playing out in the field from the house because the wind carried our voices.”

 

“You could go both ways too,” spoke the unfamiliar voice again.

 

This time, both boys turned to face the scarecrow with frightened faces.

 

“Then again, I can never make up my mind, so you should go with your own decision,” said the scarecrow.

 

With eyes as round as a full moon on a clear night, both boys stood in shock, staring at the scarecrow.

 

“What? Why are you staring? *gasp* Is my hay sticking out?”

 

“I…wha…it…but y-y-you,” Hinata stuttered.

 

“Y-you…you talked,” stated Kageyama, just as surprised as his companion.

 

“Hmm? Oh, yeah! I can talk. Ever since I was created…. I think,” replied the scarecrow.

 

“How?” asked Kageyama, still dumbfounded but starting to come to terms with what was happening.

 

“I’m not sure. I just do. Why can _you_ talk?”

 

“I… hmmm… I’m not sure either.”

 

The scarecrow just smiled warmly after hearing that statement.

 

“Hey, by any chance do you know which way Karasuno City is?” Kageyama asked him.

 

“You can talk!!” Hinata finally managed to scream.

 

“We just established that, dumbass,” Kageyama said while smacking Hinata upside the head.

 

“Sorry. It’s just, back at home our scarecrows never talked.”

 

“They don’t talk? How sad. It must be lonely out in the fields then,” stated the scarecrow.

 

“Sometimes, but we always work together in the fields with someone, so it’s never really that lonely,” replied Hinata.

 

“Oh, good!” smiled the scarecrow again, “By the way, do you think you guys can get me down? It’s a nice view from this pole, but I would like to stretch my legs once in a while.”

 

“Sure! Leave it to us!”

 

Hinata and Kageyama made their way over the white wooden fence and onto the corn field. Once at the base of the pole that suspended the scarecrow, they looked for a way to help him down.

 

“I’m not entirely sure, but I think there’s a lever behind me. If you pull it, it should release me.”

 

Taking this information, the boys looked behind the scarecrow, and sure enough, there was a lever. Kageyama took the initiative and pulled the lever. With a soft squeak, something unhinged and let the scarecrow drop to the floor.

 

“GAHHHH!! Are you alright?!” Hinata cried in concern as both boys ran up to the scarecrow to check if he was ok.

 

“Yup! No worries!! I’m made of straw so it didn’t hurt,” the scarecrow paused for a second and then said with worry in his voice, “Did I scare you?”

 

“A bit, but I’m glad you’re ok.”

 

“Hrm,” agreed Kageyama.

 

“Well, now that I’m down I….”

 

“Hey! What’s this? Is the useless scarecrow finally retiring?”

 

The three looked up, only to see four crows circling above them.

 

One of the crows, they guessed it was the leader, spoke, “It’s about time. This field doesn’t need someone as incompetent as you. Actually, you’d better stay. It’s not like it will make a difference. You’re not scary. We’ll just keep taking all the corn we want either way.”

 

“Hey! Cut that out! That’s not a nice thing to say! Come down here and apologize!” yelled Hinata.

 

“It’s ok. Just let them be,” the scarecrow cut in, “Besides, they’re right. I…”

 

“What do you mean they’re right?! You’re not useless or incompetent! Even if you have a hard time scaring these guys, it doesn’t mean you’re not fit for the job!”

 

“Oh, is this your new little guard dog? Or should I say puppy?” asked the crow leader as he landed on one of the lower corn stalks near the boys.

 

“What?! I’m not a puppy! You wanna fight?!” retaliated Hinata, putting up a fighting stance.

 

“Ha! Is that all you can do? Why don’t you attack little puppy? Or are you just all bark and no bite?”

 

“Just look at this idiot! He’s shaking!” piped in another crow. The field erupted into laughter as all four crows cackled. Hinata just stood with anger and embarrassment while the scarecrow, still on the floor, looked away in shame.

 

“Hey, why don’t you guys find another field to laugh in?” interrupted Kageyama in a very clam tone. Suddenly, Hinata got chills. He’s heard Kageyama speak this calm before, but it was only when he was extremely angry.

 

“Or else what? Are you gonna….” The crow leader stopped midsentence when he saw who had spoken. Next to Hinata stood a very peeved Kageyama. He had a scowl that could scare the boogieman from under the bed. Slowly, Hinata inched his way behind Kageyama.

 

“I’m the only one who can call this dumbass an idiot. Apologize. Now. To both of them.”

 

“W-we don’t have to listen…” started the leader, but Kageyama just stared back with his scowl.

 

“Wha-whatever. This field was getting boring anyway,” and just as sudden as they came, the crows left.

 

“Wow,” said the scarecrow in awe. He started to stand up but since he was made of hay, he had trouble keeping himself up. He stumbled a couple of times before Hinata grabbed him from his left and Kageyama from his right to steady him.

 

“Are you ok?” asked Kageyama.

 

“That was incredible! You scared them without even trying! It must be that scowl! You’re so amazing!” the scarecrow praised.

 

Kageyama just stood. A light blush started to slowly creep onto his face. He’d never been praised for his scowl. In fact, most people would say he was scary and leave him alone. It wasn’t his fault his face was like that, but this scarecrow was _praising_ him and calling him amazing.

 

“Kageyama, are you blushing?” teased Hinata with a snicker.

 

“I’m not!”

 

“You totally are!”

 

“Shut up!”

 

“Do you think you can teach me how to be scary?” interrupted the scarecrow.

 

“Why would you want to have a face like his?” Hinata asked, but Kageyama’s hand had immediately locked onto Hinata’s scalp.

 

“Ow ow ow ow ow! Kageyama! I’ll go bald!”

 

“Well, to put it simply, I’m a scarecrow. And if you haven’t noticed, I’m not the scariest around. See, I was created without a brain, so I’m not the smartest at figuring out what to do. When I try to think, it usually ends up with me messing up and people laughing, just like those crows.”

 

“What would you do if you had a brain? I mean, other than try and figure out ways to be scary,” asked Kageyama while releasing his hold on Hinata.

 

“I’d probably leave the field to look for a better job. I could be a teacher or a doctor. Maybe I can even be a lawyer! I could be an architect and design buildings for people to use. I could also be an agriculture scientist and teach people how to effectively improve crop productivity! But, well, that’s just a dream.”

 

“It doesn’t have to be. You could come with us,” added Hinata.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You see, because of certain reasons, I received these kneepads as red as rubies, and now we have the Evil Warlock of the Western Court after us. We’re trying to get back home, so now we’re traveling to Karasuno City to find a great and powerful wizard that can help us get back,” explained Kageyama.

 

“You don’t have to come, if you don’t want to. That Tooru warlock is pretty dangerous and scary, but if you do, I’m sure the wizard in Karasuno City can give you a brain,” Hinata provided.

 

“If you guys don’t mind, I’d love to go! I’m not afraid of anything!” the scarecrow paused for a second, “Well, except for fire.”

 

“That’s understandable,” the boys chorused.

 

“By the way, I never introduced myself. My name’s Yama. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

“I’m Hinata!”

 

“I’m Kageyama.”

 

“Now that we finally got that out of the way, should we get going?” Yama said in a cheerful voice.

 

The three boys turned to leave, but once again, they were faced with the fork in the road.

 

“I forgot about this,” stated Kageyama.

 

“Do you know which way it is?” Hinata asked Yama.

 

“The only place I’ve heard people talk about a city is to the left path. So I guess that’s where it is.”

 

“Makes sense,” replied Kageyama, “Let’s go that way then.”

 

“Alright!” cheered Yama and Hinata.

 

The boys started down the left path as they made their way towards Karasuno city again.

 

Out of nowhere, “I just realized something! You’re both Yamas! Yama and Kage- _yama_!” Hinata cried. He started to giggle as if it was the funniest discovery in the world.

 

“That’s not funny, idiot!”

 

“It is too!”

 

Once again, another argument ensued, which caught Yama off guard.

 

_“Is this going to happen through the whole trip?”_ Yama thought.

 

He observed the two boys for a little while longer and chuckled to himself as he witnessed their antics, _“Well, at least it won’t be boring.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys don't think the chapters are too long. If you think they are, just tell me and I'll try to fix them. By the way, if you guys want to chat about anything my tumblr url is little-burnt-marshmallow.tumblr.com :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 4! Sorry it took so long! Also, I proofread all of my work myself so there might be some mistakes because I might not catch them. If you guys find any please let me know :) Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

After walking for a while, Hinata and Kageyama finally finished their arguing, much to Yama’s relief. There were, however, times when the argument got so silly it made Yama want to burst into laughter. He kept quiet for the sake of listening to the rest of the dispute. Even if it was a little annoying at first, it was extremely entertaining. Once in a while he would add his own input, which somehow turned into another argument. Bickering and walking consumed their stamina, so it was no wonder when Hinata’s stomach growled, followed by Kageyama’s.

 

“Does anyone have some food with them?” asked Hinata.

 

“We should have asked, Tanaka, Noya, and Asahi before we left,” stated Kageyama.

 

“We should have taken some corn before we left the field,” added Hinata.

 

“Don’t worry, guys. I’m sure we’ll find some food soon,” said Yama.

 

The trio kept walking for a few more minutes before arriving at a place with lots of trees. It wasn’t a forest, but there were trees all around them.

 

“Where are we?” asked Kageyama, “Are we in a..oof!” His words were suddenly cut off after bumping into Hinata. He was just standing, looking up at the trees with a twinkle in his eyes, as if he had just found a pile of gold. Yama followed his lead and looked up as well. Not a moment too soon, there was a smile adorning his face.

 

“What are you guys staring at?” Kageyama asked.

 

“Well, look up and you’ll know,” answered Yama, and so, Kageyama did. What he saw was a miracle. Well, it _would_ be to them since they were starving.

 

“We’re in an…”

 

“APPLE ORCHIRD!” interrupted Hinata.

 

“Idiot! Don’t cut me off, Dumbass,” Kageyama said as he grasped Hinata’s head.

 

“Ow Ow Ow Ow! Let go!” protested Hinata as he wrestled with Kageyama’s hold on him.

 

“Guys! Guys! Stop fighting. Let’s pick some apples first. Then you can keep fighting after we regain our strengths,” Yama stated as he attempted to calm the boys down.

 

“Good point. You’re so smart Yama,” Hinata said with a huge grin on his face. At this comment, Yama got a little shy and started to blush. Nobody had ever called him smart before.

 

“N-not really. Um…I just…uh…Let- let’s just pick some apples” stuttered Yama.

 

“Ok,” chorused Hinata and Kageyama. With the sight of apples stealing their full attention, the trio did not notice a shadow silently hiding behind some of the trees.

 

Kageyama walked up to one of the trees and grabbed an apple. As he pulled to get it free from the branch they heard an angry “Hey!” That startled the trio.

 

“What are you doing, you apple stealing vermin!” yelled, to their surprise, the apple tree.

 

“Sorry, we…we were just trying to get something to eat. You see, we’ve been walking for a long time so….” Kageyama tried explaining before he got rudely interrupted.

 

“So what? You thought you could just waltz in here and steal _my_ apples?”

 

“You see, where we come from trees don’t talk, so we assumed…”

 

“Do you think we’re some idiot trees that would just let other people steal our fruit? Do you think we would just willingly give you our apples like those orange tree morons?”

 

“What do they have against orange trees?” whispered Hinata to Yama.

 

“I don’t know, but these trees are so crabby,” responded Yama.

 

“Pfffft… crab apple!” Hinata said while trying to suppress the laughter bubbling inside.

 

“Hey! I heard that, monkey!” the apple tree said.

 

“Look, can we please have some apples? We’re really hungry…” Kageyama tried talking again, though with a much more irritated tone.

 

“You’re hungry?! You hear that? They’re Hungry,” the tree addressed the other trees, “Now you want to _eat_ our precious apples?”

 

“Well, yeah, that’s kind of what they’re for,” Kageyama answered.

 

“Wha…. You little… I’ll show you hungry!” the tree yelled as he swatted Kageyama with his branch.

 

“Hey! Be careful with that!” scolded Yama as he walked behind Kageyama and gently grabbed his shoulder. Hinata followed. “Come on. We don’t have to put up with this,” Yama continued speaking and added in a hushed tone so only Kageyama and Hinata could hear, “I’ll show you how to get some apples.”

 

In a normal and somewhat louder voice, he said, “Let’s go. These apples are probably not that good.”

 

“What are you trying to say, you ragged piece of rabbit bedding?” asked the tree.

 

“I was just saying that there must be a reason why you don’t want us to eat you apples. After all, we wouldn’t want to eat apples full of worms. I bet those nice orange trees would give us some of _their_ fruit. I mean, at least they won’t have disgusting bugs in them.”

 

“What did you say, horse food? How could you insult _our_ apples like that? Those orange trees have got nothing on us! Get out of here, and take your monkeys with you! Go on! Get!” yelled the tree as he threw apples at them, followed by its fellow tree friends.

 

As the trio backed away, shielding their faces, the apple trees kept throwing apples.

 

“Hey, this is our chance. Grab the apples,” Yama instructed. Both Hinata and Kageyama did as they were told, and soon enough, the group had enough apples to satisfy their hunger.

 

* * *

 

After running far enough to get out of the line of fire, the group arrived at another area with more trees. This time, however, they did not talk or have fruit. They were just regular trees.

 

“Are we still in the orchird?” asked Kageyama.

 

“Not sure but… Ah!” Hinata exclaimed as something caught his attention. He started to run towards whatever he saw. Yama and Kageyama just looked at each other in confusion. They shrugged and decided to follow Hinata.

 

“Moron, what do you think you’re doing?” Kageyama said.

 

“Please don’t run off like that. Didn’t you say you had a warlock after you? It could be dangerous,” Yama said with concern in his voice.

 

“Sorry,” apologized Hinata, “But look! I found more apples on the floor. Those trees have good arms...er branches. I wonder if they’re as good at tossing a volleyball as you are, Kageyama.”

 

“Don’t be an idiot. My tossing will always be better than some tree’s… and anyone’s for that matter,” responded Kageyama.

 

“Nuh uh.”

 

“Yuh hu.”

 

“Nuh uh.”

 

“Ok, then. Name one person.”

 

“Uncle Suga. He’s the one that taught you after all,” Hinata replied smugly.

 

“I…hmmm…” Kageyama didn’t know how to reply to that comment so he just glared in frustration. Hinata just smiled because they both knew who had won that argument.

 

“Anyway, let’s pick up the apples,” Hinata added. Kageyama just grumbled while Yama tried not to laugh.

 

As they picked up the apples, they found more scattered around. Some were towards the edge of the path while others were on the grass the trees were standing on. As Kageyama moved closer to the trees, he found more apples towards the grassy base of them. He crouched to pick up the apples when he noticed something that seemed out of place. What he saw was a piece of metal. He brushed off some of the dirt and leaf debris that had accumulated over time to get a better look. He knocked on the piece of metal as if to check if it really was metal. After hearing its echo, he noticed that the peace of metal was attached to something else. Glancing upwards, his gaze traced over something that looked like a leg, which lead to something that looked like a torso, which finally lead to a head.

 

“What the…”

 

“Kageyama! Why are you standing? Did you find something?” yelled Hinata as he walked over to Kageyama, “Is it a volleyball court?! Hey, let’s play a quick game. Yama can be the referee, and you can finally put those ruby colored knee pads to good use. Hey! Are you listening? Hey!”

 

“Shut up! I heard you! And no, I didn’t find a volleyball court.” responded Kageyama irritated.

 

“So what _did_ you find?” Yama asked trying to change the direction of the argument that was about to begin.

 

“This,” he pointed.

 

Hinata and Yama turned their attention to whatever Kageyama was pointing at. They had seen some pretty odd stuff on their journey so far, such as talking apple trees, but this had to be the weirdest yet. Before their eyes stood a man, but he wasn’t a regular man per say. This man that was standing in the middle of the forest wasn’t moving. He was stock still but he was wielding an ax above his head like if he was ready to chop something down. His body looked like a regular human, but the thing that was different was that it was made out of tin. His face also had an intricate design adorning it. It had a pattern that went from the side of his head to his eye, encircling it in a rectangular shape. Then it continued over the bridge of his nose, encircling his other eye in the same rectangular shape, and finally ending at the other side of his head. What really caught the group’s attention was his height. It made him look intimidating, especially with that ax. Yama was tall too, but with his overalls, sun hat, and freckles, not to mention he was made out of straw, he never looked intimidating. This person was the complete opposite. His height added to his intimidating composure.

 

The trio stared at the metal man standing in the middle of the forest. Their eyes gazed at the figure, staring as if they had just found an alien from another planet.

 

“Can I touch it?” asked Hinata after a long silence.

 

“You can’t touch it, idiot. It’s just metal. You’ve touched metal before back at the farm. Why would it be any different?” replied Kageyama.

 

“ _You_ got to touch it! You’re so unfair Kageyama. You just want to be special and say,” Hinata flattened his hair and impersonated Kageyama’s scowling face, “‘I’m so cool. I touched a robot, but I didn’t let Hinata, my best friend in the whole wide world, touch it too because I’m a stupid face.’” By this time, Kageyama was as red as a lobster. Whether it was because of the statement Hinata added (because it was true) or because of the anger, people will never know.

 

“Dumbass! Dumbass Hinata! Shut up!” Kageyama yelled as he grabbed Hinata by the collar and shook him.

 

“Guys, calm down!” Yama said while grabbing onto Kageyama’s wrist to pry him off of Hinata.

 

“Hrmmmrmmhrmmm.”

 

At the sound, the three boys stopped. They stared at each other as if asking one another if they heard the noise too.

 

“Hrmmmrmmhrrr,” came the noise again.

 

“It’s the ghost. It followed us here,” Hinata whispered, his eyes going wide.

 

“What?” asked a confused Kageyama.

 

“The ghost. The one at the corn field. It followed us.”

 

“Idiot. That was Yama remember?”

 

“Oh yeah.”

 

Yama just sighed at their stupidity, “I think it was the robot.”

           

This time the three looked at the tin man, and sure enough the noise came from it, “Hrmmmrmmmhrmmm.”

 

“I think he wants something from us,” Yama provided.

 

“But what?” asked Kageyama.

 

“Horrurrm rhummm,” the tin man tried saying.

 

“What?” Hinata asked confused.

 

“Horrurrm rhummm,” tried the tin man again.

 

“I think he’s saying “oil can”,” Yama said while tapping his finger on his chin thoughtfully.

 

“Horrurrm rhummm,” the tin man repeated.

 

“Oh, I think you’re right. Let’s look for one and help the robot man,” Hinata said. It didn’t take them long to find the oil can. It was only a couple of feet away from the tin man on top of a tree stump. Yama took a hold of it and proceeded to oil the tin man’s face, starting with his mouth.

 

“First of all, I’m not a robot. Second of all, nobody is touching anything,” the tin man said. The second sentence was directed towards Hinata, accompanied by a glare. “Do you think you can oil the rest of me? I’ve been stuck like this for ages and my joints are starting to hurt.”

 

“Uh… ok,” Yama did as he was asked.

 

First he oiled the tin man’s elbows, shoulders, and wrists. With the help of Hinata and Kageyama, they managed to put the tin man’s arms down. Yama then proceeded to oiling his fingers. Holding onto that ax must have been tiring. After the arms, Yama oiled the tin man’s neck and his upper torso. Finally, Yama oiled the tin man’s legs, knees and feet. After regaining the use of his joints, the tin man did some stretching motions to warm himself up.

 

“I guess I should than you,” he said in a not very thankful tone.

 

“No need. We’re happy to help. I’m Yama by the way. This is Hinata and Kageyama,” he said introducing everyone. Hinata beamed his cheerful smile at the tin man while Kageyama just nodded in acknowledgement.

 

“Why were you stuck like that in the first place?” asked Hinata.

 

“Tch. I don’t have to tell you,” the tin man replied.

 

“It was probably an embarrassing reason,” commented Kageyama. The tin man just glared at him.

 

“I’m kind of curious too. Why _were_ you stuck?” asked Yama.

 

“I was cutting down a tree when it started to rain. Next thing I knew my joints rusted and I was stuck in that position,” the tin man answered.

 

“How come when Yama asked you answered? ,” asked Hinata, mildly annoyed.

 

“Because he’s not as pathetic as you two.”

 

“There’s no need to be mean. We just met you.”

 

“I can’t help it. That’s the way I am.”

 

“Of course you can help it. You can be nice if you want. Even to someone like Kageyama.”

 

“Hey,” Kageyama protested.

 

“I can’t,” responded the tin man.

 

“Why’s that?” Yama tried asking.

 

“Because the crafts man who made me forgot to give me a heart. Bang on my chest and you’ll see, or hear, is more like it.”

 

“Oooh! Oooh! Let me do it!” exclaimed Hinata while simultaneously raising his hand. The tin man backed away at Hinata’s sudden enthusiasm.

 

“What is wrong with him?” whispered the tin man to Yama.

 

“He just gets too excited sometimes,” Yama answered. “Kind of like an overly excited puppy,” he whispered that part.

 

“Tch. How annoying,” the tin man muttered, “Fine, you can do it,” he directed the last sentence to Hinata. With a bounce in his step, Hinata made his way to the tin man and banged his fist onto the tin man’s chest. After the initial metal sound came an echo. Nobody had to explain to them what the echo meant.

 

“It must be sad living without a heart,” Yama commented.

 

“Yeah, I guess,” replied the tin man.

 

“What do you mean “I guess”? Do you know how many wonderful things could happen if you had a heart, Mr. Robot Man?” Hinata asked him.

 

“I’m not…. Forget it. An idiot like you won’t get it, no matter how many times I tell you.”

 

“Finally we agree on something,” muttered Kageyama next to him.

 

“Just call me Tsukki,” said the tin man, “and of course I know what could happen if I had a heart. I could probably make “friends” or have animals like me or something.” He stayed quiet for a few seconds as he crossed his arms.

 

Then he added, “I could probably learn how to love volleyball and actually enjoy it.”

 

“Volleyball?” asked Hinata and Kageyama at the same time.

 

“I was originally designed to play volleyball, but like I said, my creator forgot to give me a heart. Without a heart, I was never interested in the game. I _couldn’t_ get interested in the game. I never got along with my teammates either. I really wish I could have kept at it but everything just seems so pathetic and dull to me. I guess you could say my “heart” wasn’t in the game. Without a heart, my passion for the game wasn’t there. That’s why my creator switched me to chopping wood. No big deal, I guess. At least nobody bothers me.”

 

As the three listened to Tsukki’s story, they couldn’t help but feel sad for him. It was clear by his words that he still cared about volleyball. It was his original function to play, so it being taken away from him, all because he didn’t have a heart, just made the whole matter sad. Suddenly, Yama, Hinata, and Kageyama turned their backs on Tsukki and started whispering to each other. After a couple of minutes, it seemed like they reached some kind of agreement.

 

“Why don’t you come with us to Karasuno City?” asked Yama.

 

“We’re going there to ask some powerful wizard if he knows a way for me and Hinata to get back home and to ask if he can give Yama a brain,” explained Kageyama.

 

“We can ask if he can give you a heart,” added Hinata.

 

“Why would I want to spend time with you losers?” asked Tsukki. His words might have been mean, but the trio now knew that he probably didn’t mean it that way. It was still annoying, though.

 

“Well, for one thing, you’ll get something out of it. And you can probably help us if we get into some kind of trouble. There’s more strength in numbers, you know,” provided Yama.

 

“You’re tall, so that would be helpful,” Kageyama added.

 

“Yeah! You look really scary and super cool, being made out of metal and all,” said Hinata with his usual enthusiasm.

 

“Cool?”

 

“Yup. Especially with that design on your face,” Hinata added, “It’s like some type of symbol.”

 

“Or a tattoo. Like the one Uncle Daichi has. You know, the flying crow on his arm he told us he got when he was in the army with Uncle Suga,” commented Kageyama.

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Hinata’s eyes shone at the memory. It was always fun when everyone from the farm gathered around Uncle Suga and Uncle Daichi to hear their stories about their time in the army.

 

“You know, they also look like glasses. It’s kind of cute,” added Yama. Hinata and Kageyama looked at Tsukki’s face and nodded their agreement after taking a closer look.

 

Tsukki looked away and said, “Shut up, Yama.”

 

“Sorry, Tsukki,” chuckled Yama.

 

“Fine, I’ll go. Just because there’s something in it for me.”

 

“How cute. Look how well we’re getting along,” said an all too familiar voice.                   Out of the trees’ shadows appeared Tooru, the Evil Warlock of the Western Court.

 

“What are you doing here?” demanded Kageyama.

 

“Oh nothing. Just checking up on _my_ ruby red kneepads,” answered Tooru.

 

“They’re not yours. Kyoko said they chose Kageyama. The kneepads are _his_ now,” Hinata replied.

 

“That doesn’t change the fact that they will be mine soon,” said Tooru turning his gaze onto Tsukki and Yama. “You two would be wise if you stayed away from these two brats.”

 

“There’s no way we’re abandoning Kageyama and Hinata, right Tsukki?” Yama said.

 

“Besides I have no obligation to you. Who do you think you are, a king? Pathetic,” Tsukki supplied.

 

“You better hold that tongue of yours if you know what’s good for you,” threatened Tooru.

 

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry Your Highness. I forgot us peasants shouldn’t talk to you like that, Oh Mighty One. It might cause you to throw a royal tantrum,” Tsukki replied with a mock bow.

 

“I’m warning you. If you don’t stop this, I’ll stuff a mattress with your friend and use _you_ as a beehive,” threatened Tooru again.

 

“Oh my, a beehive. I’m so scared. What are the bees going to do, indulge me in honey? Sting my senseless metal body? Better start getting the party supplies out since it looks like I’ll be receiving some new neighbors.” Out of all the times Yama controlled his laughter, this was the one time he let a giggle escape. Tsukki’s sarcasm in the face of danger was just too much for him to handle.

 

“You think that’s funny? How’s this for a laugh?” smirked Tooru as he created a fire ball in his palm. Once the fire ball formed he hurled it towards Yama. Yama dodged as best he could but the fire managed to catch onto his arm.

 

“Yama!” yelled Hinata, rushing to Yama’s aid.

 

“Quick! Put it out! Put it out!” Kageyama kept saying while swatting Yama’s arm.

 

“That’s what we’re trying to do!” replied Hinata, also trying to douse the fire.

 

Tooru just stood back and watched the chaos unfold. Laughing, he disappeared, leaving the group with a “We’ll meet again.”

 

With a “tsk” Tsukki quickly made his way to the trees and started to scratch at the ground. Soon enough, he gathered enough dirt to throw onto the fire on Yama’s arm and finally put it out. Everyone sighed in relief, including Tsukki.

 

“Thanks Tsukki,” Yama said.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I owed you anyway for getting me unstuck. Just think about it as repaying the favor.”

 

“I don’t care what you say, you really are nice,” Yama said while giving his smile to Tsukki.

 

“Lies,” Tsukki told him while turning his head in an uninterested fashion.

 

Yama turned his attention towards Hinata and Kageyama with a serious expression and said, “If I wasn’t certain before, now I am. I’m going to Karasuno City with you. I don’t care if I get a brain or not, I’m not letting that warlock harm you. I’ll make sure you get home safe.”

 

“I’m going too. That warlock rubs me the wrong way. He’s so pompous, like if he was some grand king. If getting you two safe home means beating that warlock at his own game, then I’ll gladly go, even if I don’t get a heart,” Tsukki said.

 

Kageyama suddenly had a scowl on his face. It wasn’t an angry scowl. It was a more thoughtful one.

 

“What’s wrong Kageyama?” Hinata asked.

 

“This is going to sound really weird but I feel like I know you guys from somewhere,” Kageyama said.

 

“What do you mean?” Hinata asked again.

 

“Like, Yama’s kindness and Tsukki’s snarky and sarcastic attitude. Don’t you feel it too?”

 

“Now that you point it out, you’re right.”

 

“But we just met. There’s no way you guys could have met us before,” added Yama.

 

“Yama’s right. Your oddball stupidity is not something I’d forget easily,” commented Tsukki.

 

“Hey! Watch what you…” Kageyama started but was interrupted by Hinata.

 

“Well, it doesn’t matter. We’re together now and that’s all that matters.” Suddenly, Hinata gathered everyone into a group hug.

 

“Can you please stop this brotherly hug fest? It’s gross,” Tsukki said while trying to push Hinata away.

 

“Just let me love you for a second. We’re friends now,” protested Hinata, still trying to hold the hug together.

 

“Ew,” was all Tsukki replied. Hinata finally let go after a few seconds.

 

“Well, I guess we should get going,” Yama said.

 

“Yeah! We’re off to see the wizard!” Screamed Hinata while running down the orange path once more.

 

“Dumbass wait up! That warlock is still around! Be more careful!” yelled Kageyama as he chased after Hinata.

 

“You just want to catch up so you can beat me in this race!” Hinata yelled back, still running.

 

“So? What’s your point?” Kageyama yelled once again, still chasing Hinata.

 

The dispute kept going and their voices could be heard from where Yama and Tsukki started walking. They knew that the “oddball duo”, as Tsukki had nicknamed them, would eventually run out of energy and slow down.

 

“Are they going to argue all the way?” asked Tsukki.

 

“Most likely.”

 

“At least I’ll be able to stay sane with you around.”

 

There was a small awkward silence between the two after that statement. It became too unbearable, so Tsukki decided to break it.

 

“So… what do you think about dinosaurs?”

 

“They seem scary, but at the same time really cool! I don’t really know about them. Not having a brain kind of prevents you from knowing stuff. I really like velociraptors though!”

 

“Did you know that velociraptors didn’t have scaly skin like lizards? They had feathers instead.”

 

“Really? I didn’t know that! Please, tell me more!”

 

Tsukki grinned, “You and I are going to get along just fine.”

 

As they walked down the path, they both found a comfortable rhythm of Yama asking questions while Tsukki answered them and added more facts about dinosaurs. The oddball duo’s argument could still be heard, but the two found themselves enjoying the background noise. The journey to Karasuno City was starting to take a turn in an interesting direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was fun coming up with the tree's and Tsukki's dialogue. Also I gave you guys a little peek into Hinata's and Kageyama's lives with their family. I really like the idea of Suga and Daichi in the army together. I may write a story about that, maybe. I don't know yet. Also here's the link to the information about the velociraptors: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/prehistoric/velociraptor-mongoliensis/
> 
> Again comments are appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> That incident with the cow actually happened to me, but there was a lot more crying and a lot less scowling. I honestly don't know where this takes place but let's just say it's a little town on some random little country side. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Comments are greatly appreciated!!


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